Author: Ryan

Reading The Shining

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TheShiningCover

The Shining has always been a fixation in my life when it comes to horror — specifically the 1980 Stanley Kubrick adaptation of the famous Stephen King novel. There’s always been a certain je ne sais quoi about it that has cemented it in my mind when I start to think about horror films. Whether it’s the beloved Simpsons short from “Treehouse of Horror V” that first exposed me to the idea or the impact of watching the film itself for the first time, I can’t begin to think about watching Halloween movies without asking someone new “Have you seen The Shining?” There’s something about the whole scenario; the grisly spectres, the oppressive, isolated landscape, and descent into madness that makes the whole thing a tantalizing horror story.Read More »

Which is Scarier?

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While there are numerous ways to present the horror genre, I’ve found myself considering two distinct types of horror stories: those where the threat is paranormal, and those where the threat is mundane. When I say mundane, I mean something that we all acknowledge is within the realm of possibility. Stories that tell of gruesome killers and levels of cruelty only a twisted human imagination could conjure up and for all intents and purposes could actually happen.Read More »

Horror Movies & The Unexplained

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Doot

The Halloween season is upon us once again, and for me that means I’m watching a lot more horror movies than I normally would. Over the last few days I watched Oculus and Sinister, in that order, both of which are rather recent releases. I enjoyed them both — especially the former — but watching them has got me particularly thinking a lot about explanations and the unknown in the horror genre.Read More »

Book Review | Undermajordomo Minor by Patrick DeWitt

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UndermajordomoM‌inorCover

Undermajordomo Minor is the newest novel by Patrick DeWitt, published by Anansi House Press on September 5, 2015. DeWitt is well known for his previous and bestselling novel The Sisters Brothers, which received significant acclaim. The story follows Lucien “Lucy” Minor, a young man going out into the world to seek something more from life, gaining employment as an undermajordomo at the mysterious Castle Von Aux. Promotionally, the novel is described as “A love story, an adventure story, a fable without a moral, and an ink-black comedy of manners.”Read More »

The Ending of Dead Space 3

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Spoiler Warning: This post is very specifically about details of the Dead Space series as well as the ending of Dead Space 3. Read at your own discretion.

DS3Isaac

Despite having received the game as a gift in 2013 and being a big fan of the series, I only just completed the storyline of Dead Space 3. The game continues a series of sci-fi horror video games developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts.

Something I heard consistently from friends and family that had played through it already was that by the end of the game far too much was explained about the source of the Necromorphs, the undead monstrosities that assault the player-character Isaac Clarke, and the Markers, alien spires that are the source of hallucinations, violence, and the spawning of these nightmarish creatures. Having now played through it, I’m not sure how I feel about it.Read More »

When Classics Aren’t Enough

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Recently, while having a conversation with a friend about books, the subject turned to reading what is generally considered to be “classic” literature. These are the books that are taught in high schools, university courses, and other academic circles. While I personally appreciate the academic reasons and approach to examining this kind of literature (which most people characterize as Literature proper), my friend brought up a very valid point: they’re not only a major chore to get through at times, but contain narrative devices and plot points that would be heavily criticized if done today.Read More »

Hesitation Near The End

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There is a phenomenon I have experienced throughout much of my life that I haven’t been self-conscious of until very recently. It is an obscure sorrow that I have become increasingly aware of — credit to The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows for inspiring this kind of reflection — and I’ve begun to feel that there are probably a lot of other people who feel the same way.

There are people who love to marathon through shows, movies, speed-run games, or speed read. While they may share my experience, I feel it applies more specifically to the way I go through things. I read a lot, but I’m not particularly fast at it. My pace gets the job done, but I hardly read fast enough to finish even a short book in one sitting. I can spend even greater amounts of time on a game, or a series, where going back to the material becomes a regular routine in my life.Read More »

Scooby-Doo! & My Ideal Wrestling

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ScoobyGang

Having been curious since it came out, this past week I watched Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery, a direct-to-video movie co-produced by Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios. I’ve been a casual fan of pro wrestling and the WWE for a few years now, and I grew up enjoying a lot of Scooby-Doo, so the idea of the two pairing up seemed both bizarre and entertaining.

The movie played out exactly as anybody familiar with a Scooby-Doo storyline would expect, complete with red herring antagonists, really convoluted technology and plot devices, and an obvious twist reveal on who the monster really was. I understand the intended audience, so I’m not going to fault the movie for all this. It was a lot of fun to watch.Read More »

TV Series Review | Rick and Morty Season One

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RickMorty

Rick and Morty is a science fiction comedy cartoon series geared toward adults and produced by Adult Swim. Rick is a genius, alcoholic scientist who has moved back in with his daughter’s family, often recruiting his dopey, kind-hearted, and easily distressed grandson Morty to accompany him on his misadventures.

The origin of the series starts from a Back to the Future parody cartoon done by one of the creators Justin Roiland for film festival Channel 101. Rick and Morty are based on the two characters from this show, but from what I have seen the ties to being a Back to the Future parody are largely shaken, with the series instead taking on ideas from across much of popular science fiction. Their adventures take them across time and space — and even other universes — via Rick’s portal gun, juxtaposed with Morty’s dysfunctional family life.Read More »